Nervous in silence before next foot of snow and most of all the extreme cold weather coming ...

Date sort Score sort
Kellymack

Kellymack

In the Brooder
6 Years
Joined
Jan 5, 2014
Messages
7
Reaction score
0
Points
35
In the wake of a pending EXTREME COLD front coming our way (Michigan) I am very nervous my chickens will not be warm enough. My husband made a shed for our chickens and will have nothing else to do with the chickens he brought home. I am a city girl, but have fallen in love with these chickens (19 of them). I have many different sizes and breeds, roosters and hens, and two guinea hens. I have my roosters in kennel cages in a room with a heat lamp aimed at them. I tried to let them huddle together on perches and one was killed so I needed to separate them ( for their own protection-the gentlest and my favorite was the one who passed
sad.png
)

I have read about the extreme cold some chickens have endured as long as they are out of the wind and dry. I have taken two of my chickens to the local farm vet with frost bite. Had to have them in the basement for 24 hours to warm up and keep the foot. All worked out well, but we have never had such cold weather as what is coming. Very nervous about my poor chickens. I have an extension cord running from the house to the coop and two heat lamps connected to area. I have two areas of warmth. One for girls and one silkie rooster. And the other for the big roosters in the kennel cages stacked in front of the heat lamp. Lots of clean straw and food and water 2 to 3 times daily, it freezes. A heated waterer is not an option. I bought a roof rake to keep the snow from collapsing the coop.

I would like to hear from you if you have good advise for me. I never wished 4 days would so pass quickly in my life.
Technically they are my daughters and husbands chickens, but a year and half ago when they were no longer cute and little and fuzzy, I seemed to be the one who needed to step up to take care of them. Since then I have fallen in love with each and every one of them, actually I do not like one, but he gets good care in spite of the fact he will run across the pen just to attack my ankles. I even took and paid for a vet bill to have an ingrown toenail fixed for him. Anyway, awaiting some advise, feeling extremely freaked out. Sincerely, Kellymack
 
If you have a farm store. buy some chopped straw and bed them deep. keep their coop draft free. Keep them in during this awful weather. I am in northern Illinois, it is so bad out! I work outside, I dread tomorrow...... Oh if your rooster attacks your ankles, pick him up and hold him until he stop squirming, even 5-10 minutes. he will learn you are the boss and stop this, mine did. I mix warm water in a pan with their feed in the a.m. to warm them up.( I mix it kinda thick soupy) I use 2 pans so everyone gets a bite. It also insures they get some liquid in their systems. Watch those heat lamps, double secure them so they don't fall and start a fire. I ( when raising the chicks) put a nail in the board clamp the light to it over the nail then wire the lamp the rafter board. Fire freaks me out.
 
images
to BYC!

Make sure you have good venting in your coop so that the moisture from pooping and breathing can escape out the roof or eaves of your coop. Clean out all the old bedding and replace it with new, so that there no added moisture in the coop. Seal up all cracks that might create a draft near the roost bar. You want the air near their roosting area to be still. You can also tack an old towel or some thing made of cotton to the roost bar to help keep feet warm. Warm feet mean warmer birds. I like to only add heat to the coop if the over night low is going to be 30 or 40 degrees below my average over night low. Be very careful of coop fires.

Good luck and enjoy BYC!
 
Alright and
welcome-byc.gif
great to have you onboard with us
frow.gif




I cant see your coop so all I can add is straw for bedding
celebrate.gif

Sand is just fine also this is what I use as we do not have dirt
tongue.png


There is a item out on the market called a heated roost that
keep the feet warm you might want to look in to something
like this
lol.png


If it gets to cold maybe you could put them all in small covered
cages and put them in your basement for the night during your
extreme cold nights as this was common only up to a hundred
years ago as the old folks use to talk about when I was young
smile.png






gander007
old.gif
 
Thank you for your reply Top Knot. I will get some chopped straw. I also tried mixing a little warm water with their food, it all froze solid. I did it again and added some suet, worked a little better for me. Yup if you are in Illinois you understand my dred completely. Thanks again. I will try and hold Mr. Bigglesworth for as long as it takes when he charges me. Thanks for all your advise. Good luck outdoors yourself tomorrow ! be safe, Kellymack
 
Thanks! I drive a ups truck! Ha! Should be really fun. 57 miles to work then 40 miles to route. Usually 170 deliveries. I will probably be colder than my chickens.~Cheryl
 

New posts New threads Active threads

Back
Top Bottom